CNA Programs – What School Do I Choose?
If you’re looking to become a nursing assistant, you might as well go all the way and become a certified nursing assistant; the pay is better as are the opportunities for networking and advancement. In order to become certified though, you have to go back to school and get work experience as well as a pair of exams. The effort is worth it though if you are serious about becoming a CNA. However, before diving into your course work, it’s important to know what CNA Programs are available and how to choose the right one. Figuring out the best way to get the education you need to be certified is a good first step on the road to a new career.
Types of Education
There are two broad ways to get your education as a CNA: through a traditional college course or online school. The first thing to figure out when deciding between the two is how much time you have to commit to the coursework. Some colleges/schools require you to be free all day throughout the week to take the course and do the hands-on work; other courses are night courses and then of course there are the wholly online courses where you can do the work on your time.
Regardless of which kind you go for, it’s a good idea to clear your schedule as much as possible so that you can concentrate your time and energies on your classes as much as possible. While training to become a CNA isn’t precisely difficult, it is a lot of information that must be retained for both the exam and the job. Once you’ve figured out exactly how much time you can allot to your studies, you can then decide whether you want to go for full time college classes, night school classes, half online/half off classes or wholly online classes. Keep in mind that the hands-on part of your education will have to be done in the real workplace no matter how you did the rest of your education, so make time for it.
Finding Schools
There are plenty of resources available to help you find the best course for you to get your education. You can check through your local college or university or go online and search for online courses. Some good colleges to check out include: St. Augustine Educational Services, Concorde Career Colleges and Bryman College. These are some of best places to start when you are searching for your education as a CNA.
You may also want to consider going to schools through American career colleges because these schools offer not just CNA training, but also dental assistants, pharmaceutical work, X-ray technicians and full on nursing education. This is convenient because if you decide that working as a CNA isn’t for you, you can easily shift gears to another field of study.
Getting certified as a nursing assistant starts by choosing between the CNA programs that are available out there and finding a good education for you to work under. You may want to talk to a few different school/college representatives to see what schedule and pricing works best for you.